Engineering Critical Assessment

THE Applus+ SOLUTION

Welding fabrication codes specify maximum tolerable flaw-sizes and minimum tolerable charpy-energy level based on good workmanship. Achieving these standards, however, does not ensure that a certain minimum risk tolerance has been obtained.

Engineering critical assessment (ECA) is an analysis based on the principles of fracture mechanics to determine if a given material (with known properties) with certain flaw characteristics can resist fracture, fatigue, creep or plastic collapse under specified loading conditions.

Applus+ ECA can be used to:

Assist in the choice of welding procedure and/or inspection technique during the design phase of an installation
Assess the significance of known defects that are unacceptable for the given fabrication code
Detect a failure to meet the toughness requirements of a fabrication code
Assess flaws found in–service and decision-making regarding their disposition (safely remain, down rate component/repair required)

The application of ECA requires a multi-disciplinary team and hinges on three parameters: stresses acting on the region of the flaw; size, position and orientation of the flaw; and toughness and tensile properties in the region of the flaw. Applus+ offers specialist capabilities in all of these three areas.

TARGET CUSTOMERS

Examples of where ECA has been applied include:

Dynamic riser systems, which are fatigue-sensitive structures
Steel catenary risers, which are also fatigue-sensitive structures
Time-sensitive onshore and offshore pipeline-construction projects where high-productivity welding processes and automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) of weld quality are used

KEY CUSTOMER BENEFITS

The in-depth stress-analysis consultation services provided by Applus+ offer clients key information about their assets where they need it most.

Applus+ uses first-party and third-party cookies for analytical purposes and to show you personalized advertising based on a profile drawn up based on your browsing habits (eg. visited websites). You can accept all cookies by pressing the "Accept" button or configure or reject their use. Consult our Cookies Policy for more information.

Cookie settings panel

Essential cookies

They allow the operation of the website, loading media content and its security. See the cookies we store in our Cookies Policy.

Always active
Analytics cookies

They allow us to know how you interact with the website, the number of visits in the different sections and to create statistics to improve our business practices. See the cookies we store in our Cookies Policy.
Advertising cookies

Based on your behavior on the website (where you click, how long you browse, etc.) we establish parameters and a profile for you to display ads that correspond to your interests. See the cookies we store in our Cookies Policy.